Moderator Report: duG1

Complaint regarding moderator trolling directed at user "Charles Bailey45".

Topic: The "dream" bicycle

A moderator deleted my post in a thread where I shared a photo of a bicycle I admire—one that happens to be out of my current budget. The design looks like something straight out of the 18th century, which is why I posted it. Sharing a picture isn't trolling, and it stays on topic. Instead, the moderator decided I was trolling because my bike is meant for commuting rather than being some high-speed racing machine like the ones 100% of the users there obsess over. He judged my taste as trolling and threatened me with sanctions. My apologies if my personal taste doesn't align with the whims of the children and the moderator there; my deepest apologies for daring to have an aesthetic that differs from the majority.

By marginalizing me simply for my preferences, the moderator is actually the one trolling. This behavior violates this forum's code of conduct. I am requesting that appropriate action be taken against him, whether through a warning or removal, in accordance with our rules. I haven't even been a member long, yet I'm already facing unprofessionalism and trolling from a moderator abusing his position. Someone who trolls has no business holding a moderator role.

Best regards,

Well...

Ever since he first showed up in the Cycling subforum, this user managed to take what seemed like a totally normal, chill discussion and steer it completely off the rails in his very first few posts. A fellow moderator eventually stepped in and cleaned it up, though—interestingly enough—he didn't face any sanctions at all. link (Unfortunately, only mods and admins can see those deleted posts without restoring them).

Since he clearly didn't learn anything from that, he’s gone ahead and started a brand new thread titled Dream Bicycle. It’s one of those threads where people post photos of their most beautiful, expensive, or rare bicycles just to daydream about having them.
Maybe it's shallow, maybe it's silly, and maybe some people find it funny, but there's a certain charm to it. You see topics like this on thousands of general and niche forums across the web (except ours is relatively more affordable 🙂).
Anyway, here we go.

There, without saying a single word to explain what the topic is about or why he considers his specific "dream bike" to be a mode of transportation, he just left this one image:



Not once, but twice.

But hey, according to him, that's a real bicycle, while everything else is just "junk racing bikes for kids." 👍

I won't even bother commenting on his other accusations or him calling me out for trolling (yeah, right!) when we haven't even interacted in the actual posts. It falls under the category of "believe it or don't."

As far as I'm concerned, I'm sticking to my decision: the first post stays deleted, and the second one can be updated with the details I mentioned above—basically the who, what, when, where, why, and how.
He could have just done that immediately (or after my private message) instead of dragging us all through this drama.
We'll probably have to deal with this again in a few days when people start flooding his post (or even worse, when someone actually thinks it's a good idea to post a photo of a stroller or a shopping cart from Target...)

P.S. @Alexander Johnson10/">@@Alexander Johnson10: When a moderator reaches out via PM in a polite and respectful way to ask what's going on and requests that you stop trolling or off-topic posting, that isn't a threat. It's advice meant to prevent further conflict in the thread (or, in heavier cases, the whole subforum).

By making things up, whining, playing the victim, and invoking internet laws (oh boy...), you aren't helping anyone at all.

Charles Bailey45 said:Yeah...

Ever since he first showed up in the cycling subforum, this user has had a knack for taking seemingly trivial, calm discussions and derailing them instantly. A moderator eventually stepped in to clean up his mess, though he managed to dodge any actual sanctions in the process. link Unfortunately, only moderators and administration have access to posts that haven't been returned.

I shared my experience regarding my bicycle trip to Memphis, and then your friend jumped in to attack me. I wasn't looking for a fight. I simply stated that I don't engage in arguments with fanatic nationalists. That only made him lose his mind further. I didn't start this; your friend did. He can't handle the fact that someone doesn't care for his hometown and has nothing to say about it. He became argumentative, aggressive, and violated forum rules by claiming I was talking nonsense. Naturally, you failed to sanction the person who actually created the tension. Your logic seems to be that if someone is victimized, the perpetrator isn't at fault—which is exactly what your recent justification proved. Consider this a warning: I will be filing another complaint against you. If you don't fix how you handle your duties as a moderator, my next report goes to higher authorities.

Charles Bailey45 said:He failed to learn a single thing from that experience. Now he’s just hunting for a new topic to stir up. The dream bicycle.Which forum is the go-to spot for showing off the most beautiful, expensive, or rare bicycles? I’m looking for that specific corner of the internet used for daydreaming—you know, the kind of place where people post just to say, "Yeah, look what I have."
Maybe this is superficial, maybe it’s a bit silly, and some people might find it laughable, but there’s a certain aesthetic here. It’s like any other thread you’ll stumble upon on thousands of general or niche forums across the web—except this one happens to be a lot more affordable. 🙂).
Anyway, that's just crazy.

And there he was, without saying a single word to explain what was going on or why he actually considers this thing a mode of transportation. He just left this photo of his dream bicycle:



Not once, but twice.

And there it is. According to him, that’s a real bicycle, while everyone else is just riding toys. I don't know what kind of nonsense people are trying to pass off as conversation these days, but this is getting ridiculous. This isn't even worth a response. 👍

It’s interesting that twenty other users posted nothing but an image without a single word and didn't face this kind of scrutiny. What's your excuse there? I’m genuinely curious. I can't tell if you were trying to embarrass yourself or not, but thanks for making my reporting process so easy. You've essentially proven my complaint was justified, saving me the trouble of having to argue the point myself. It’s also quite ironic to hear me being called out for posting my photo when the thread description explicitly states that just an image is perfectly fine—something plenty of other users have already done. To make matters worse, this individual actually tried to threaten me over my personal taste and threatened to delete my post. As a moderator, he is required by the rules to submit a report whenever he deletes, moves, or edits anything. Yet, he hasn't done that for a single thread or post. I re-uploaded the image just to see if the disappearance was a deliberate act by the moderator or simply a server error, given that he isn't performing his duties regularly or adhering to the very rules he's obligated to uphold.

Look, buddy, if you aren't willfully ignoring the obvious, a bicycle is a legitimate mode of transport. It’s basically a motorized version of an 18th-century carriage, and it's damn comfortable. You claimed you were just trolling, but your threats prove otherwise—you clearly don't view a bicycle as a valid vehicle. It isn't your place to dictate someone else's taste, nor is it your place to threaten them with sanctions just because you personally find their preferences distasteful. I reported you because you abused your authority, which was plain to see in your own words. I appreciate you resolving this and admitting it, but you've still been reported to the administrator. You have neither the mandate nor the right to regulate what people like, let alone use disciplinary threats against them simply because they chose a red image and you happen to hate the color red. I’m not some kid; I am fully prepared to take legal action regarding how you handle your duties here. That level of conduct goes beyond the scope of a forum moderator.

Charles Bailey45 said:As for the other accusations and the claims that I’m out here trolling—despite the fact that we haven't even had a single direct interaction in these threads—I think I'll pass on commenting. Take it or leave it.

As far as I'm concerned, I’m sticking to my decision. The first post stays deleted. You can add what I mentioned above to the second one. - What, how, when, how much, why, where..
He could have just handled it immediately—or waited until after my post—instead of dragging us through all this unnecessary drama.
We'll be back here in a few days reliving this exact same scenario once people start flooding his thread again. Or even worse, when someone actually thinks it's a brilliant idea to post a picture of a shopping cart or a stroller.

P.S. @Alexander Johnson10: when the moderator reaches out via DM to politely ask what's going on and requests that you stop trolling or veering off-topic, then you know it's serious. This isn't a threat. It’s just a piece of advice intended to head off any further friction on this thread—or, in more serious instances, within this entire subforum.

By fabricating details, constant complaining, playing the victim, and appealing to... Internet regulations. Good grief... you aren't helping one bit.

Look, you didn't ask politely; you essentially threatened sanctions over my personal taste and the image I posted. This isn't North Korea, and we aren't living under some dictatorship where everyone is forced to like exactly what you like. Regarding my comment about filing a formal complaint with the authorities to evaluate the quality of internet services—keep acting this way and you’ll find out how difficult it becomes to secure a contract with any major provider like Comcast. Do yourself a favor and actually read the forum rules. Your laziness is exactly what landed you in this position. If your goal was truly to avoid threats, you wouldn't be threatening someone just because of their preferences. Take a moment to reflect on your actions and pull yourself together before you dig yourself into even deeper trouble. I am moving forward with the report regarding the Memphis incident, just as I am reporting the user who stirred this whole mess up in the first place. You might think friendship excuses everything, but that doesn't apply here—not even for a moderator.

P.S. — Why am I being this blunt with you? Because someone who threatens me with sanctions over my personal preferences—someone who resorts to deception just to shield friends who violated the community guidelines—never deserves respect. You initiated this situation yourself, whether through ignorance or sheer stupidity. It doesn't matter which one it was; what matters is that you are incapable of performing your duties as a moderator. If you continue to harass people outside your jurisdiction and abuse your authority, my next report won't just be a complaint. It will be a legal filing based on federal net neutrality and online conduct regulations, at which point your ISP, Comcast, will be obligated to take action.

Alexander Johnson10 said:If you don't start performing your duties as a moderator correctly, my next report will be escalated to much higher authorities.

I am fully prepared to take legal action against you regarding how you handle your position, and that goes far beyond the scope of this forum's admins.

What I told you about reporting relevant institutions to evaluate internet service quality stands. If you continue this behavior, things will go very far, and then you can deal with the consequences of which ISP will actually agree to sign a contract with you.

The next complaint will be a formal legal document defined by federal regulations regarding internet quality and online conduct, after which your ISP will be obligated to sanction you.

For the sake of a joke, I have to

🤣 :klap: 🤣 🙏 🤣

Where on earth do you people come from? 🤣

I highly doubt any of these "geniuses" has ever actually gone to file a lawsuit against a moderator of a private forum just because they deleted or penalized a post made under their online handle. And if anyone actually did, I would love to see the look on the face of the person being reported: 😁

"At the Los Angeles County Superior Court today, the trial began for the moderator of X. Y., who in January 2015 shamelessly deleted a photo of a strange bicycle belonging to forum member Alexander Johnson10, thereby violating regulations established by federal statutes regarding internet quality." 🤣

I honestly can't even...

Look, you should probably take those threats somewhere else and leave me alone.